Triniman's Blog

Weekday Golf Rates - 2017

2017-07-29T23:28:00.002-05:00

The price in brackets equals the cost of 18 holes with a per-person power cart rental.

Assiniboine Golf Club
$40/ senior $35. carts $40 ($60)

Bel Acres Golf & Country Club
$42. After 11 & cart $39. cart
$39. ($61.50)

Bridges Golf Course
Mon-Tues. $40. $15 cart per
person. ($55)

CFB Winnipeg Golf Club at 17 Wing
$24/ seniors & juniors $17. carts $27/ seniors $22. ($40.5/ seniors$30.5)

Carman Golf and Curling Club
$40 every day ($60) - power cart
$40. (Senior Monday special w/cart $45)

Clear Lake Golf Course
$59.05, carts $17.70 ($76.75); after 1 pm $41.90, carts $14.16 ($56)
Spring special April 28 to May 18 - $60 w/ cart.

Falcon Lake Golf Course
June to Labour Day - $50/seniors $46. ($69/ seniors $65)
After Labour Day & before June 1 - $33 ($52.)
carts $38.

Grand Pines Golf Club
$35. $18 carts per person. ($53 w/ shared cart - seniors $48.)
Weekday after 1 pm - $39 w/ shared cart.

Granite Hills Golf Club
$42, seniors $36. cart $38 ($61/ seniors $55)

Hecla Golf Course
$40, seniors $35. cart $36 ($58/ seniors $53)
After Labour Day and before July 1 $30 ($48/ seniors $43)

John Blumberg Golf Course

Kildonan Park Golf Course
$37/ $28 seniors. cart $34 ($54/ seniors $45)

Kingswood Golf and Country Club
$44.50. $20 cart per person ($64.50)

Larters at St. Andews Golf and Country Club
$45, cart $36. ($63)
Mon-Tues special $49 cart included); walking $36.

La Vérendrye Golf
$30. Per-person carts $17 ($47)

Links At The Lake - Gimli
$36/ seniors $34 ($54/ seniors $52)
Before June 1 & after Labour Day $31/29. ($49/ seniors $47)
carts $36.

Lorette Golf Course
$33/ $27 senior. $15 per person carts ($48/ seniors $42)

Mars Sandhills Golf Course - Libau
(Mondays $36 w/ cart)
$32 Tues-Thurs. Cart $32 ($48)

Maplewood Golf Club - St-Pierre Jolys
$30. Cart $36 ($48)

Minnedossa Country Club
$37, carts $35 ($54.50)

Minnewasta Golf and Country Club - Morden
$44 weekdays, cart per person $21.25 ($65.25)

Neepawa Golf and Country Club
$37, cart $40 ($57)

Netley Creek Golf Course
$37.75/ seniors $34.50. carts $38 ($56.50/ seniors $53.50)
Shoulder season rates include: opening day to June 1, after Labour Day to closing day:
$34/ seniors $30.

Oakwood Golf Course
$34/ senior $30. Carts $36 ($52/ seniors $48)

Pinawa Golf and Country Club
$40/ $35 senior, carts $20 per person. ($60/ seniors $55)
After 2 pm, $50 w/cart.

Pleasant Valley Golf Club - Belmont
$34, per-person carts $16 ($50)

Poplar Ridge Golf Course
$47; per-person cart $18 ($65.)
Spring/Fall Rates: Opening - until May 31/September 7th -until Close $37.

Portage Golf Club
$40 cart $37 ($58.50)

Prairie Oaks Golf Course (formerly the Shamrock Course)
9 holes $29 / $23 Senior
Carts $20 9 holes / $25 18

Quarry Oaks
$38 weekdays/ $46 weekends.
$19 carts per person ($57)

River Oaks Golf Course
$37/ $32 seniors. carts per person $18 ($55/ seniors $50)
Spring &
Fall rates $26.

Rossmere Country Club
$45 walking

St. Boniface Golf Club
$52.50, cart $39. ($71.50) Monday - Thursday 10:00am - 3:30pm After 6:00pm

Sandy Hook Golf Club
$32. cart $30 ($47)

Scotswood Links - Elm Creek
($32.65 weekday special, includes cart)

Shilo Country Club
$34. ($47 w/ shared cart). carts $35

Selkirk Golf and Country Club
$40. $38 cart ($59)

Southside Golf Course
$31/ $27 seniors. carts $29 ($45.50/ $43.50)

Steinbach Fly-in Club
$42/$40 seniors. ($60/ $58)
carts $36

Teulon Golf and Country Club
$43/ seniors $28.
Mondays $50 w/cart - free replay
Tues-Wed. special $38 w/ shared cart.

The Meadows At East St. Paul Golf Course
$39/ $35 seniors. carts $38 ($58/ seniors $53)

Transcona Golf Club
$38. carts $38. ($57)

Tuxedo Golf Course
$37.carts $36 ($55)

Whispering Winds of Warren Golf Course
$25, carts $28 ($39)

Wildewood Golf Course
$35. cart $30 ($50)

Windsor Park Golf Course
$37/ $28 seniors. cart $34

Winkler Golf Course
$32 weekdays/ $35 weekends.
carts $34 ($49)

Rusted fuel and brake lines

2016-08-04T15:24:00.001-05:00

Books from the Children's Hospital Book Sale - 29 April, 2016

2016-05-08T20:04:00.000-05:00

01 Aldiss, Brian – 1983 – Helliconia Spring
02 Anderson, Poul – 1971 - The Byworlder
03 Cherryh, C.J. - 1981 – The Pride of Chanur
04 Clancy, Tom – 1995 – Fighter Wing
05 Delany, Samuel R. - 1976 – Triton
06 Dickson, Gordon R. - 1960 – Dorsai!
07 Dickson, Gordon R. - 1980 – Lost Dorsai
08 Draper, Robert – 1990 – Rolling Stone Magazine – The Uncensored History....
09 Effinger, George Alec – 1987 – When Gravity Fails
10 Haldeman, Joe & Jack C. Haldeman II – 1983 – There Is No Darkness
11 Pohl, Frederick - 1980 – Beyond The Blue Event Horizon
12 Powers, Tim – 1985 – Dinner At Devinat's Palace
13 Priest, Christopher – 1974 – The Inverted World
14 Silverberg, Robert - 1972 – Dying Inside
15 Silverberg, Robert - 1976 – Shadrach In The Furnace
16 Silverberg, Robert - 1979 – Lord Valentine's Castle
17 Spielberg, Steven – 1977 – Close Encounters of the Third Kind
18 Stone, David – 2008 – The Orpheus Deception
19 Thomson, Keith – 2010 – Once A Spy
20 Thor, Brad – 2011 – Full Black
21 Thor, Brad – 2012 – Black List
22 Thor, Brad – 2013 – Hidden Order
23 Trevor-Roper, H.R. - 1947 – The Last Days of Hitler
24 Varley, John – 1983 – Millennium
25 Vinge, Joan D. - 1980 – The Snow Queen
26 Vinge, Joan D. - 1991 – The Summer Queen
27 Whitman, John – 2007 – Declassified Chaos Theory
28 Whitman, John – 2008 – Declassified Trinity
29 Winterbotham, F.W. - 1974 – The Ultra Secret
30 Zelazny, Roger - 1976 – Doorways in the Sand

Books from the Children's Hospital Book Sale - 26 April, 2016

2016-04-26T21:30:00.001-05:00

01 Asimov, Isaac – 1950 – Pebble In The Sky

02 Asimov, Isaac – 1983 – The Robots of Dawn

03 Asimov, Isaac – 1985 – Robots and Empire

04 Asimov, Isaac – 1995 – Gold

05 Bear, Greg – 2005 – Quantico

06 Benford, Gregory – 1995 – Sailing Bright Eternity

07 Cherryh, C.J. - 1996 – Cloud's Rider

08 Child, Lee – 1997 – Killing Floor

09 Child, Lee – 2004 – The Enemy

10 Child, Lee – 2005 – One Shot

11 Child, Lee – 2014 – Personal

12 Child, Lee – 2015 – A Wanted Man

13 Clarke, Arthur C. - 1987 – 2016: Odyssey Three

14 Gibson, Gary – 2014 – Extinction Game

15 Gibson, William – 2010 – Zero History

16 Heinlein, Robert A. - 1963 – Glory Road

17 McDevitt, Jack – 2004 – Polaris

18 McDevitt, Jack – 2005 – Seeker

19 Reynolds, Alastair - 2000 – Revelation Space

20 Ringo, John – 2003 – Hell's Faire

21 Ringo, John – 2008 – The Last Centurion

22 Ringo, John – 2011 – Citadel

23 Ringo, John – 2013 – Under A Graveyard Sky

24 Ringo, John – The Hot Gate

25 Roberts, Adam – 2012 – Jack Glass

26 Robinson, Spider – 1993 – The Callahan Touch

27 Sawyer, Robert J. - 2005 – Mindscan

28 Schwartz, Stephen – 2002 – The Two Faces of Islam

29 Stephenson, Neal - 2008 – Anathem

30 Stross, Charles - 2004 – Iron Sunrise

31 Stross, Charles - 2006 – Glasshouse

32 Tepper, Sheri S. - 2003 – The Companions

33 Vallee, Jacques – Dimensions – A Casebook of Alien Contact

34 Wilson, Robert Charles – 2005 – Spin

Mitsubishi Video Wall

2016-03-30T17:23:00.001-05:00

Here's the first of two video walls by Mitsubishi for the computer lab at work.

Books from the Children's Hospital Book Sale - 5 Feb., 2016

2016-02-05T18:41:00.000-06:00

01 Atwood, Margaret – 2009 – The Year of the Flood

02 Badami, Anita Rau – 2006 – Can You Hear The Nightbird Call?

03 Basran, Gurjinder – 2012 – Everything Was Goodbye

04 Chandra, Virkam – 2006 – Sacred Games

05 Clancy, Tom and Mark Greaney – 2013 – Command Authority

06 Conant, Jennet – 2008 – The Irregulars

07 Coupland, Douglas – 1995 – Microserfs

08 Diamant, Anita -1997 – The Red Tent

09 Doyle, Roddy – 1993 – Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

10 Dubus III, Andre – 1999 – House of Sand and Fog

11 Dyer, Gwynne – 2007 – The Mess They Made

12 Finkelstein, Norman G. - 2000 – The Holocaust Industry

13 Garlinski, Jozef – 1979 – Intercept – The Enigma War

14 Hancock, Graham – 1995 – Fingerprints of the Gods

15 Hosseini, Khaled – 2007 – A Thousand Splendid Suns

16 Hynek, J. Allen – 1972 – The UFO Experience

17 Paseman, Floyd L. - 2004 – A Spy's Journey

18 Patterson, James and Neil McMahon - 2011 - Toys

19 Salamon, Daria – 2008 – The Prairie Bridesmaid

20 Shields, Carol – 1993 – The Stone Diaries

21 Silverberg, Robert – 1988 – The Masks of Time; Born With The Dead; Dying Inside

22 Simpson, Paul – 2013 – A Brief History of The Spy

23 Smith, Tom Rob – 2008 – Child 44

24 Steele, Allen – 2002 – Coyote

25 Steele, Allen – 2004 – Coyote

26 Steele, Allen – 2005 – Coyote Frontier

27 Stevenson, William - 1983 – Intrepid's Last Case

28 Vassanji, M.G. - 1989 – The Gunny Sack

29 Walter, Chris – 2002 – Punk Rules OK

Books from the Children's Hospital Book Sale - 4 Feb., 2016

2016-02-04T17:48:00.002-06:00

01 Abuelaish, Dr. Izzeldin – 2010 – I Shall Not Hate
02 Aldiss, Brian – 1983 – Helliconia Summer
03 Aldiss, Brian – 1985 – Helliconia Winter
04 Anderson, Poul – 1960 – The High Crusade
05 Anderson, Poul – 1971 – The Byworlder
06 Anderson, Poul – 1974 – Fire Time
07 Anthony, Piers – 1967 – Chthon
08 Asimov, Isaac – 1985 – The Edge of Tomorrow
09 Barrett, David V. - 2011 – A Brief Guide to Secret Religions
10 Baxter, Stephen – 2009 – Ark
11 Bear, Greg – 1990 – Queen of Angels
12 Benford, Gregory – 1987 – In The Ocean of Night
13 Chaudhuri, Amit – 2001 – Three Novels (A Strange and Sublime Address, Afternoon Raag, Freedom Song)
14 Chomsky, Noam – 2007 – What We Say Goes
15 Colombo, John Robert -1990 – Mysterious Encounters – Personal Accounts of the Supernatural in Canada
16 Colombo, John Robert -2004 – True Canadian UFO Stories
17 Coonts, Stephen – 2004 – Saucer the Conquest
18 DeCurtis, Anthony and James Henke – 1992 - Rolling Stone Album Guide
19 Duane, Diane – 1996 – X-Com UFO Defense
20 Erickson, Steven – 2009 – Dust of Dreams
21 Gibson, William – 1986 – Count To Zero
22 Gibson, William – 1986 – Count To Zero
23 Gibson, William – 1993 – Virtual Light
24 Gladwell, Malcolm – 2000 – The Tipping Point
25 Gladwell, Malcolm – 2013 – David and Goliath
26 Handleman, Joe – 1974 – The Forever War
27 Handleman, Joe – 1989 – Buying Time
28 Handleman, Joe – 2000 – The Coming
29 Handleman, Joe – 2004 – Camouflage
30 Handleman, Joe – 2005 – Old Twentieth
31 Handleman, Joe – 2011 – Earthbound
32 Huxley, Aldous – 1932 – Brave New World
33 Jordan, Robert – 1982 – Conan The Defender
34 Jordan, Robert – 1982 – Conan The Invincible
35 Jordan, Robert – 1984 – Conan The Destroyer
36 Jordan, Robert – 1984 – Conan The Magnificent
37 Kerouac, Jack – 1951 - On The Road – the original scroll
38 Klosterman, Chuck – 2003 – Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs
39 Marquez, Gabriel Garcia – 1967 – One Hundred Years of Solitude
40 McDevitt, Jack – 2011 – Firebird
41 Metzger, Robert A. - 2002 – Picoverse
42 Mootoo, Shani – 1996 – Cereus Blooms At Night
43 Mootoo, Shani – 2005 – He Drown She In the Sea
44 Naipaul, V.S. - 1975 – Guerrillas
45 Niven, Larry - 1970 – Ringworld
46 Niven, Larry - 1986 - The Ringworld Throne
47 Niven, Larry – 1976 – A World Out of Time
48 Ondaatje, Michael - 1982 – Running In The Family
49 Ondaatje, Michael - 2007 – Divisadero
50 Palahniuk, Chuck – 2001 – Choke
51 Priest, Cherie – 2009 - Boneshaker
52 Resnick, Mike – 1988 – Ivory – A Legend of Past and Future
53 Resnick, Mike – 1990 – Second Contact
54 Robinson, Kim Stanley - 1994 – Green Mars
55 Robinson, Kim Stanley - 1996 – Blue Mars
56 Rushdie, Salman – 2008 – The Enchantress of Florence
57 Rutkowski, Chris and Geoff Dittman - 2006 – The Canadian UFO Report
58 Saebels, Corina – 2007 – The Collectors – A Canadian UFO Experience
59 Scalzi, John - 2012 – Redshirts
60 Silverberg, Robert – 1969 – Up The Line
61 Silverberg, Robert – 1972 – The Book of Skulls
62 Silverberg, Robert – 1973 – A Time of Changes
63 Simak, Clifford D. - 1981 – Project Pope
64 Stephenson, Neal - 2003 – Quicksilver
65 Stephenson, Neal – 2004 - The Confusion
66 Streiber, Whitley - 1987 – Communion
67 Stross, Charles - 2003 – Singularity Sky
68 Toews, Miriam – 2008 – The Flying Troutmans
69 Vassanji, M.G. - 1994 – The Book of Secrets
70 Vassanji, M.G. - 2009 – The Assassin's Song
71 Willis, Connie - 2010 – Blackout
72 Zusak, Markus – 2005 – The Book Thief

Spotify playlist - Atmospheric Black Metal

2015-06-10T18:19:00.001-05:00

https://play.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/2dAvElnRMasV5Vp83YZyvV

150,000 kms on the car today

2015-06-08T21:46:00.002-05:00

The car hit 150,000 km today at precisely 4 pm, after 164 months of ownership - 13 years, 8 months. That averages to 941 km a month, or 32 km a day. I was driving north on Waverly, just after leaving Winnipeg Honda.

Books from the April, 2015 Childrens' Hospital Book Sale

2015-04-23T21:31:00.002-05:00

01 Adiga, Aravind - 2008 - The White Tiger
02 Akhtar, Ayad - 2012 - American Dervish
03 America's Espionage Empire
04 Asimov, Issac - 1951 - The Stars, Like Dust (Galactic Empire series Book 1)
05 Bear, Greg - 2003 - Darwin's Children
06 Bond, Larry - 1991 - Vortex
07 Bowden, Mark - 1999 - Black Hawk Down
08 Bradbury, Ray - 1953 - Farhenheit 451
09 Brennan, J.H. - 1974 - The Occult Reich
10 Byatt, A.S. - 1994 - Angels and Insects
11 Carver, Jeffrey A. - 2000 - Eternity's End
12 Daly, John with Glen Waggoner - 2007 - My Life In & Out of the Rough
13 Dasgupta, Rana - 2009 - Solo
14 Day, David - 2002 - A Guide To Tolkien
15 Delany, Samuel R. - 2002 - Nova
16 Doctorow, Cory - 2006 - Someone Comes To Town, Someone Leaves Town
17 Feinstein, John - 1999 - The Majors
18 Feinstein, John - 2004 - Caddy For Life
19 Forester, E.M. - 1924 - A Passage To India
20 Gaiman, Neil - 1996 - Neverwhere
21 Gandhi, M.K. - 1927 - An Autobiography
22 Gibson, William & Bruce Sterling - 1990 - The Difference Engine
23 Heinlein, Robert A. - 1951 - Between Planets
24 Heinlein, Robert A. - 1957 - The Door Into Summer
25 Ignatius, David - A Firing Offense
26 Irani, Anosh - 2006 - The Song of Kahunsha
27 MacKenzie, Major-General Lewis - 1993 - Peacekeeper: The Road to Sarajevo
28 Morrison, Toni - 1970 - The Bluest Eye
29 Morrison, Toni - 1977 - Song of Solomon
30 Naipaul, V.S. - 1987- The Enigma of Arrival
31 Niven, Larry and Jerry Pournelle - 1977 - Lucifer's Hammer
32 Patterson, James - 1996 - Miracle on the 17th Green
33 Rampton, Sheldon & John Stauber - 2003 - Weapons of Mass Deception
34 Reilly, Matthew - 2001 - Area 7
35 Rosaforte, Tim - 2000 - Raising The Bar - The Championship Years of Tiger Woods
36 Sawyer, Robert J - 2002 - Hominids
37 Sawyer, Robert J. - 2010 - Watch
38 Schnabel, Jim S. - 1997 - Remote Wars: The Secret History of America's Psychic Spies
39 Shelley, Mary - 1818 - Frankenstein
40 Speer, Albert - 1976 - Spandau - The Secret Diaries
41 Stevenson, William - 1976 - A Man Called Intrepid
42 Sumner, Tracy - 2000 - Karsten's Way
43 Turtledove, Harry - 1997 - How Few Remain
44 Vanderhaeghe, Guy - 2002 - The Last Crossing
45 Volkman, Ernest & Blaine Baggett - 1991 - Secret Intelligence - The Inside History of
46 Wilson, George C. - 1988 - Super Carrier
47 Wolfe, Gene - 1993 - Nightside The Long Sun
48 Wolfe, Gene - 1994 - Calde of the Long Sun
49 Woodward, Bob - 1987 - Veil - The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981 - 1987
50 Woodward, Bob - 2006 - State of Denial - Bush At War, Part III
51 Zama, Farahad - 2008- The Marriage Bureau for Rich People

Books from the Children's Hospital Book sale.

2015-02-12T22:29:00.003-06:00

01	Adams, Douglas - 1982 - Life, the universe and everything
02	Asimov, Isaac - 1950 - I, Robot
03	Asimov, Isaac - 1953 - Second Foundation
04	Asimov, Isaac - 1953 - The Caves of Steel
05	Asimov, Isaac - 1965 - The Naked Sun
06	Asimov, Isaac - 1972 - The Gods Themselves
07	Asimov, Isaac - 1989 - Nemesis
08	Asimov, Janet and Isaac Asimov - 1986 - Norby Through Time And Space
09	Banks, Iain M. - 1996 - Excession
10	Bear, Greg - 1985 - Eon
11	Bear, Greg - 1987 - The Forge of God
12	Bear, Greg - 1993 - Moving Mars
13	Bear, Greg - 1999 - Darwin's Radio
14	Benford, Gregory - 1980 - Timescape
15	Brin, David - 1987 - The Uplift War
16	Brin, David - 1990 - Sundiver
17	Card, Orson Scott - 1986 - Speaker For The Dead
18	Cherryh, C.J. - 1985 - Cuckoo's Egg
19	Crichton, Michael - 1969 - The Andromeda Strain
20	Erikson, Steven - 2001 - Memories of Ice
21	Erikson, Steven - 2006 - The Bonehunters
22	Erikson, Steven - 2007 - Reaper's Gale
23	Gaiman, Neil - 1999 - Stardust
24	Gaiman, Neil - 2005 - Anansi Boys
25	Herbert, Brian and Kevin J. Anderson - 2003 - Dune House Atreides
26	Herbert, Brian and Kevin J. Anderson - 2004 - Dune The Battle of Corrin
27	Herbert, Brian and Kevin J. Anderson - 2008 - Paul of Dune
28	Herbert, Frank - 1969 - Whipping Star
29	Herbert, Frank and Bill Ransom - 1979 - The Jesus Incident
30	Herbert, Frank and Bill Ransom - 1983 - The Lazarus Effect
31	Howard, Robert E. - 1935 - Conan The Warrior
32	Le Guin, Ursula K. - 1974 - The Dispossed
33	Mitchell, Greg - 2011 - The Age of Wikileaks
34	Mukherjee, Bharati - 2002 - Desireable Daughters
35	Rahman, Fazlur - 1968 - Islam
36	Reynolds, Alastair - 2012 - Blue Remembered Earth
37	Robinson, Kim Stanley - 1994 - Green Mars
38	Scalzi, John - 2005 - One Man's War
39	Simmons, Dan - 1990 - The Fall of Enymion
40	Simmons, Dan - 1997 - The Rise of Enymion
41	Singer, P.W. - 2009 - Wired For War
42	Somers, Jeff - 2008 - The Digital Plague
43	Strieber, Whitley - 2011 - Hybrids
44	Swarup, Vikas - 2005 - Slumdog Millionaire
45	Turtledove, Harry - 2006 - Settling Accounts: The Grapple
46	Willis, Connie - 1992 - Dooms Day Book
47	Young, Thomas W. - 2010 - The Mullah's Storm

Download Windows 7 ISO – Official Direct Download Links

2014-12-13T00:53:00.003-06:00

"There are many valid and legal reasons one might have to feel the need to download Windows 7. For instance, you might be needed to reinstall or recover Windows 7 but not find the original Windows 7 setup DVD, or your netbook doesn’t come with a DVD drive. In such cases, downloading Windows 7 should help you out, assuming you have bought a legal and valid key from Microsoft."

http://techpp.com/2009/11/11/download-windows-7-iso-official-direct-download-links/

Concerts 2014

2014-12-12T22:54:00.000-06:00

01 16 January - Neil Young - Concert Hall
02 24 January - It's All In The Mind CD release - Loft Gastropub
03 26 March - Yes - Pantages Theatre
04 16 April - Black Sabbath - MTS Centre
05 12 May - Ice Earth/ Sabbaton - Park Theatre
06 17 May - Neko Case / Dodo Birds - Burton Cummings Theatre
07 18 May - Merzbow - Pyramid Cabaret
08 25 May - Steve Kirby's Oceanic Orchestra - Park Theatre
09 16 June - Curtis Nowosad Quartet - Manitoba Theatre Centre
10 17 June - James Cotton - Manitoba Theatre Centre
11 18 June - Gregory Porter - Manitoba Theatre Centre
12 28 July - Modest Mouse - Burton Cummings Theatre
13 4 August - Broken Bells - Burton Cummings Theatre
14 8 August - Rod Steward/ Santana - MTS Centre
15 14 August - Arcade Fire - MTS Centre
16 21 August - Tom Petty - MTS Centre
17 19 September - Sonata Arctica - Park Theatre
18 23 September - Chick Corea - Burton Cummings Theatre
19 18 October - Low - West End Cultural Centre
20 1 November - The Wailin' Jennys - Burton Cummings Theatre
22 1 November - Arch Enemy - Garrick Theatre
23 3 November - Sarah McLaughlin - Concert Hall
24 22 November - David Lindley - Park Theatre
25 23 November - Death, Obituary, Massacre, Rivers of Nihil, Untimely Demise - Park Theatre
26 24 November - Devin Townsend Project/ Animals As Leaders - Garrick Theatre
27 2 December - The Tea Party - Burton Cummings Theatre

2014-01-19T15:30:00.001-06:00

New CDs

Neil Watson - Move! Winnipeg saxophonist.

Germ - Grief. A project by Australian Tim Yatras.

Untimely Demise - Systematic Eradication. A band from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with the drummer from Winnipeg.

Amber Epp - Inside Out. Jazz singer from Winnipeg.

Artists in Healthcare Manitoba. Artists include Ron Halldorson, Lois Gillespie, Tim Cummings, Aaron Shorr, Kris Ulrich and Keith Price, among others.

2014-01-19T15:00:00.002-06:00

New books in the collection.

Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel by Max Blumenthal.

My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel by Ari Shavit.

Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War by Robert M. Gates.

2014-01-19T14:44:00.004-06:00

From the TED blog, 100 Websites You Should Know and Use (updated!)

BUSINESS + E-COMMERCE

AUDIO + VISUAL

LITERATURE, MEDIA + CULTURE

POLITICS, NEWS + GLOBAL ISSUES

EDUCATION

SCIENCE + TECHNOLOGY

Concerts 2013

2014-01-12T23:15:00.000-06:00

01 15 January - Gojira w/ Devin Townsend - Garrick Theatre
02 9 February - Mark Stallard - Joe Black's
03 17 February - Enslaved/Pallbearer/Ancient VVisdom - The Zoo
04 1 March - Marduk/ Moonspell / Inquisition / The Foreshadowing
05 28 March - Soilwork w/ Jeff Loomis, Blackguard, Wretched and Destiny Potato - Park Theatre
06 29 March - Mark Stallard - Joe Black's
07 31 March - Amber Epp - Park Theatre
08 10 April - Billy Bragg - Garrick Theatre
09 12 April - Chantal Kreviaziuk - WECC
10 4 May - Mark Stallard - Loft Gastropub
11 31 May - Primus - Burton Cummings Theatre
12 17 June - Rudresh Mahanthappa - WECC
13 3 July - Counting Crows/ The Wallflowers - Concert Hall
14 13 July - Winnipeg Folk Festival
15 16 July - CD Release Farewell 274 - Franco Manitoban Cultural Centre
16 18 July - KISS - MTS Centre
17 22 July - Megadeth - MTS Centre
18 9 August - Loreena McKennitt - Concert Hall
19 12 August - Paul McCartney - Investors Group Field
20 18 August - Wintersun/Fleshgod Apocalypse/Arsis/Starkill - Park Theatre
21 14 September - It's All In The Mind - Loft Gastropub
22 14 October - Joe Satriani - Burton Cummings Theatre
23 22 October - Ian Anderson - Concert Hall
24 8 November - Destroyer - Park Theatre
25 17 November - Bryn Roberts - WECC
26 2 December - High On Fire - WECC

Skipped shows:
23 Feburary - Rik Emmmet and the WSO - Concert Hall
9 March - Anat Cohen - Berney Theatre
20 April - Bill Charplap Trio - Berney Theatre
19 September - Iron & Wine - Pantages Theatre
7 November - Matthew Good - Burton Cummings Theatre

Television not the same since the end of Breaking Bad

2013-10-26T18:22:00.000-05:00

I was a late comer to Breaking Bad. After reading about how Bryan Cranston was winning award after award, I decided to finally check out the show. I started with Season 1, episode 1, and within no time, I was hooked. Never before had I seen a show with so much tension and unpredictability.

Thankfully, the show has ended rather than linger on and on too long, like many other shows have done, like Lost and X-Files.

Nothing has appeared on my radar, however, to replace the excitement. We're into Season 3 of another show that I was nuts about, Homeland, but it's off to a slow start and I do hope that they also have a plan to end it rather than keep it going indefinitely, so long as the ratings are decent.

The Walking Dead is now into it's fourth season and it's beginning to lose some of its appeal. It's becoming too familiar with not a lot new. Please make this the last year.

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D looked like another attempt to capitalize on the super-hero craze that, particularly with the success of Marvel's super-hero movies. After a few episodes, the media is reporting that they are attracting fewer viewers with each episode. The writing is hum drum. When you're dealing with super-hero characters, they tend to shine better in one-off movies than in weekly shows where you know there's minimal risk and endings that are predictable.

Hostages is about a surgeon who was selected to operate on the President. Her family is taken hostage by a group of well-organized operatives in an attempt to have her botch the operation and kill the President. The President's own Chief of Staff is on in it, but he also reports to higher powers. This might work as a one season show, but I am already thinking of dropping it.

Dropped recently that I used to follow are Burn Notice and The Glades.

Probably the two best new shows that I have seen recently, however are The Americans and House of Cards. Set in the Reagan era, The Americans is about a couple of Soviet spies who move the U.S. and start a family in order to blend in as a typical couple. An FBI agent moves in across the street and they become friends with him and his wife, all the while, this is the couple that the agent is also pursuing without realizing that he's after his neighbors. It's a serial and it's an engrossing thrill ride. The show is on the cable network FX.

House of Cards is a addictive serial, full of political conspiracy and manoeuvrings that at times seem like they could be realistic. Kevin Spacey is bound to win awards that Bryan Cranston used to win as lead actor. It's a Netflix series and while season 1 has ended, it's far better than anything on major network television.

It's been said recently that television is now the stronger medium for quality drama, overtaking the film industry. I tend to agree. What's even more interesting is that the best dramas are from smaller networks, rather than the ones that have the history and big budgets.

Tiger Woods vs. Jack Nicklaus

2013-03-31T01:33:00.003-05:00

World Wide Wins - Tiger 88, Jack 79.
PGA Tour Wins- Tiger 77, Jack 73.
European Tour Wins- Tiger 8, Jack 0.
Player of the Year- Tiger 10, Jack 5.
PGA Tour Money Titles- Tiger 9, Jack 8.
Vardon Trophy Scoring Titles- Tiger 8, Jack 0!
Most Wins per Season Titles- Tiger 11, Jack 5.
Most Wins in a Season - Tiger 9, Jack 7.
Most Consecutive Cuts Made in a Row- Tiger 142, Jack 109.
Missed Cuts- Tiger 10, Jack 88
Career Scoring Avg- Tiger 68.75, Jack 70.28 (Thru age 36 for Both)
Major Championships- Tiger 14 of 60, Jack 18 of 112 (thru age 49 only)
World Golf Championships- Tiger 18 of 45. Jack Nothing Comparable at all.
And Tiger Woods has done all of this by Spotting Jack Nicklaus THIRTEEN YEARS!
It Took Jack 453 Professional Tournamets to Win 73 Times. A 16.1% Winning %.
It Took Tiger 271 Professional Tournaments to Win 74 Times. A 27.4% Winning %.

Display problems - Philips 42PF9631D37

2013-02-22T10:35:00.001-06:00

Biggest reasons for Windows 8 failing in the marke

2013-01-26T16:38:00.001-06:00

Here's an online comment from "Nategator," in response to the article Understanding Windows 8′s lackluster launch and Microsoft’s cryptic sales figures by Sebastian Anthony on the Extreme Tech website.

Biggest reasons for Windows 8 failing in the market:

1. Pushing a touch-based OS interface down desktop user's throats.
It was absolutely asinine that Microsoft both got rid of the familiar (Start button, deskop view) and pushed massive innovations (tile system, corner access) at the same time. At the very least, they should have made the ability to go straight to the desktop with a start button an optional feature. Better yet, make it adaptive. If Windows 8 detects a touchscreen, start with the tiles. If Windows 8 just detects a mouse and keyboard, start with the traditional desktop view. If they would have done this minor step they would have avoided 95% of the criticism (the other 5% largely focused on the App Store -- see #3) and made the new Start option a desirable feature rather than a reason not to buy/upgrade.

2. The tiles/Metro is ugly and poorly designed.
It's pretty much a rip off of the Xbox tile system, which is largely panned by users because it ends up hiding the content they want behind advertisements and side features Microsoft is pushing. What people tend to want is symmetric columns and rows that can be easily customized -- a la MS's own deskop, Android, and Apple.

3. Poor relationship management with key partners.
It's telling that HP, Acer, Steam, and Blizzard have all publicly went out and panned Microsoft's Windows strategy before launch. Each company was directly threatened by Microsoft making moves to become a direct competitor instead of a trusted partner. And as the carcasses of Netscape and WordPerfect testify, when Microsoft goes after your revenue they do not play fair. Plus, these are key partners trashing Microsoft's strategy. HP sells the most PCs, Acer used to be dominant in laptops/netbooks, Steam sells the most PC games, and Blizzard sells the most beloved PC exclusive franchises. Now all of them are looking seriously at Linux (or its fork, Android) and pushing the GPU companies to start developing drivers.

4. Continued failure to understand the touch market.
People like touch as secondary devices. But it is yet to be seen whether they really want to ditch the keyboard and mouse system for a less efficient touch system. There are big drawbacks with touch. fingerprints, oil, scratches, and dirt build up on the monitor. Touch is less accurate than the mouse and keyboard. Touch creates more input errors than the mouse and keyboard. All of these have the potential to decrease productivity.
In addition, you should not have the same touch OS for both a tablet and a desktop/laptop. With the tablet you are interfacing downwards and with the PC you are interfacing perpendicular. Motions that feel comfortable with the tablet can feel strange with the PC.
No matter how many corporate touts try to clog up the comments they cannot escape the reality. Windows 8 is looking more like Vista (or worse) and less like Windows 7/XP. And if the gaming pubs open up a Linux front Microsoft may be in serious trouble.

Lost your Windows discs?

2012-12-26T03:07:00.002-06:00

Here's a link to an excellent blog article written by Ed Bott, for the Ed Bott Report, on ZDNet.

Lost your Windows discs? How to get replacement media, legally

Did your most recent Windows PC purchase come with a set of reinstallation media?

Maybe it did, maybe it didn't. As I noted in my coverage of Microsoft's lawsuit against UK retail giant Comet, big PC makers—the so-called royalty OEMs—are required to include a recovery solution as part of their installation of Windows. But the details of those recovery systems vary by manufacturer, so there's no one-size-fits-all set of instructions.

New PC Build

2012-11-25T18:25:00.001-06:00

After a few years of wanting to build a new PC, I finally got around to it this month.

My goal was to assemble a system with two SSDs in RAID 0, have several USB 3.0 connections, utilize a CPU water cooler, have plenty of storage, and not have to buy a discrete video card, since I'm not a computer gamer. The Asus motherboard does not have D-Sub (VGA), DVI, or PS/2 connections. I opted for Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, instead of Windows 8.

I also wanted to use a water cooler and found one that would allow me to use four fans in push-pull configuration.

The Samsung S27B970D 27" monitor was what I had expected to buy. When the price was finally released for Canada, it still wasn't listed as being in stock anywhere. I opted for the new Asus PB278Q monitor, which was half the cost.

Intel Core i7 3770K 3.5 GHz 8 MB
Asus P8Z77-V Deluxe
Asus 12B1ST 12x BD Writer
Asus Front Panel USB 3.0 Box (2 ports)
Asus PB278Q 17" monitor (2560 x 1440 w/DisplayPort)
Corsair Vengeance 2 x 8 GB RAM (qty 2; 16 GB)
Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T case
Corsair CMPSU-650AX 650W Gold AX P/S
Corsair Hydro H100 CPU water cooler
Noctua NF-P12-1300 fans (4) in push-pull configuration
OCZ Vertex 4 256 GB SATA III SSD (2 in RAID 0)
Seagate 3 TB Barracuda 7200 rpm 64 MB (qty 3)
Windows 7 Pro 64-bit

Concert Review: Curtis Nowosad at the Park Theatre, Winnipeg, MB, 11/8/12

2012-11-11T21:28:00.001-06:00

Jazz drummer Curtis Nowosad has established himself as one the most popular musicians in the Winnipeg jazz scene, seemingly gigging all the time with a crop of young, rising players, and many of the local veterans, as well as the University of Manitoba's Jazz Studies professors.

My evening at The Park Theatre Café, a refurbished movie theatre that has become one of the hottest venues for live music of all genres, began with my arrival about 15 minutes before the doors were opened. I had a feeling the show would sell out and I wanted to sit in a particular location. As I handed over my $10 ticket, I also paid the special pre-sale price of $10 for the CD, Nowosad's first, entitled The Skeptic & The Cynic.

As the venue began to fill up, I noticed a few fans spontaneously clapping as Nowosad strolled from the stage to the floor. I recognized several people from other jazz shows. The audience was comprised of teenagers and people who may have been in their 70s and above. This just confirms for me that jazz is still growing its fan base.

When the band finally took to the stage, they were warmly greeted by the audience. I recognized everyone, save for the alto saxophonist, Craig Bailey, who recently joined the U of M faculty as a jazz educator. In fact, five of the seven performers are U of M jazz educators, including Bonness, trumpeter Derrick Gardner, guitarist Laurent Roy and the head of the Jazz Studies program, Professor Steve Kirby on bass. Tenor saxophonist Niall Bakkestad-Legare is another popular young player on the local scene.

As soloists, I was particularly bowled over by the force and authority of Gardner's trumpet. He earned some of the loudest ovations from the audience all evening. Roy, who was known by his Anglicized name "Larry" for a long time, was stellar on electric guitar, deftly releasing notes with the creativity and spontaneity that many guitarists aspire to but few possess. Bassist Kirby performed with enthusiasm, bringing excitement to an instrument that is sometimes performed without enough flair. Kirby's performance was totally involved, physically moving around and giving the audience another worthwhile focal point.

Bailey's alto sax was given the type of workout that can only be expected from someone of his pedigree, who has put in the endless hours of performance with cream-of-the-crop players, over many years. His sound is potent but also fluently soulful. Bakkestad-Legare confirmed for me that he is more than capable of sharing the stage with masterful musicians. His craft is always on the up-rise every time I see him.

Bonness showed his sense of humour by injecting a few (piano) notes here and there as Nowosad was speaking, sometimes mimicking the organ sound at hockey games. The audience enjoyed these moments and once again, they were spellbound by his performance. I've never been a fan of the sound of electric pianos, but I do understand how they are far easier to schlep around than acoustic ones. Having heard Bonness on a grand piano before, I felt as if I was missing out on hearing a superior piano sound.

Nowosad's command of the drums displays his skills for subtlety and nuance, as well as strong fluidity when he gets into a groove. Given the quality of the musicians he plays with, I expect him to continue to develop his style and craft.
To add to the diversity of the sounds that evening, local hip-hop singer/poet Ismaila Alfa appeared as a special guest and impressed me with his performance. It's not the kind of thing you would see at a traditional jazz show, but times are changing. (Witness the almost unheard of popularity for the Robert Glasper Experiment's Black Radio CD.)

Numerous times throughout the show, the affable Nowosad recognized his bandmates for the evening and was gracious as he thanked them as well as his other critical influences in his life, including all his teachers, the Park Theatre, and finally, his wife.

At the end of the band's performance, it came as no surprise that the audience quickly rose to their feet and offered up a heart-felt standing ovation. This was a terrific evening, exactly what I was expecting, and an important and well derserved milestone for Curtis Nowosad.

Rush - MTS Centre, September 26, 2012

2012-10-06T21:46:00.001-05:00

Rush performed for 9000 fans, without any opening act. This wasn't quite as many people as their 2008 show, which was their first performance in Winnipeg since their 1982 show at the old Arena (which drew a 50% capacity audience of 8000.)


Rush drummer Neil Peart.

With their 20th studio album out, Clockwork Angels, Rush simply do not know how to slow down. Despite the fact that their non-hit material can take some effort to get in to, Rush have enough strong, popular material to allow them to tour until they decide to call it quits.

I found this quote from the MTS Centre's website. "The RIAA has certified Rush for the third most consecutive gold/platinum studio albums by a rock band, topped only by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones."

The first set saw them utilize material from four of their '80s albums, half of which was from the synth-heavy 1985 album Power Windows. I could have done without most of the tracks from this album in favour of some of the older classics like "Closer To The Heart" (which they did not play during the 2007 Snakes & Arrows tour), "Red Barchetta," "Limelight," "Fly By Night" (not performed live since 1978), "Freewill," "Trees" and "Something For Nothing."

Geddy Lee (59) really looked like he was having fun. When not playing the keyboards, he would strap on his bass guitar and playfully shuffle over to guitarist Alex Lifeson (59).

I wasn't as crazy about the previous studio album, 2007's Snakes & Arrows and when they performed about an hour's worth of it during the last tour, I felt quite disinterested. For a three hour show, they could have cut it down by 30 minutes with less new material and I would have enjoyed myself more. This time, they played 9 of the 12 tracks from Clockwork Angels during the second set and I found the new material easier to get into.

Lifeson played keyboards juring "The Garden," which Lee exclaimed was his favorite track from the new album. During the title track, the lighting rig moved in a fashion probably meant to mimic floating angels. For the second set and for the first time in their history, they performed with backing musicians, in the form of a string section. Whether or not these seven or so really contributed to the overall sound, I couldn't say with any certainty. Right behind them, gasoline bombs, fireworks and explosions went off. I could feel the heat from the 16th row on the floor. I can only imagine what nerve it took for them not to jump during those explosions, which always caught me off guard. The heat must have made quite an impression on them. Throughout the show, they played humorous short films ("Gearing Up," "The Appointment," and "The Office of the Watchmaker") one of which had the three members acting as scruffy dwarfs in an industrial setting and giving a government bureaucrat the runaround. Cameramen, some of which were high above in the lighting rig, provided close ups off the band members so that no matter where you sat, you had a good view of the show. I wish more bands would do this.

Drummer Neil Peart (60) didn't limit himself to one long solo, like he did last time. Rather, he added some solos to "Where's My Thing?" in the first set, "Headlong Flight" in the second set, as well as stand-alone solo in the form of "The Percussor" in the second set.

Not wanting to become a nostalgia band, Rush are compelled to play plenty of new material, along with several old classics. I question why they played four tracks from Power Windows, which, while a popular album, surely isn't what the long-time fans consider to be a classic.

It goes without saying that the band performed like the virtuosos that they are. Not only are they masters of their instruments, but no other musicians out there sound like the individual members of Rush. Even in the songs that I wasn't totally into, I was enthralled by their craft.

Overall, I enjoyed this show more than the previous one and I would definitely see Rush again.

Set 1
01 Subdivisions (Signals, 1982)
02 The Big Money (Power Windows, 1985)
03 Force Ten (Hold Your Fire, 1987)
04 Grand Designs (Power Windows, 1985)
05 Middletown Dreams (Power Windows, 1985)
06 Territories (Power Windows, 1985)
07 The Analog Kid (Signals, 1982)
08 The Pass (Presto, 1989)
09 Where's My Thing? (with Drum Solo) (Roll The Bones, 1991)
10 Far Cry (Snakes & Arrows, 2007)

Set 2
11 Caravan (Clockwork Angels, 2012)
12 Clockwork Angels (Clockwork Angels, 2012)
13 The Anarchist (Clockwork Angels, 2012)
14 Carnies (Clockwork Angels, 2012)
15 The Wreckers (Clockwork Angels, 2012)
16 Headlong Flight (with Drum Solo) (Clockwork Angels, 2012)
17 Halo Effect (Clockwork Angels, 2012)
18 Wish Them Well (Clockwork Angels, 2012)
19 The Garden (Clockwork Angels, 2012)
20 Dreamline (Roll The Bones, 1991)
21 Drum Solo (The Percussor)
22 Red Sector A (Grace Under Pressure, 1984)
23 YYZ (Moving Pictures, 1981)
24 The Spirit of Radio (Permanent Waves, 1980)

Encore:
25 Tom Sawyer (Moving Pictures, 1981)
26 2112 Part I: Overture (2112, 1976)
27 2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx (2112, 1976)
28 2112 Part VII: Grand Finale (2112, 1976)